Holidays During the Holidays

Hooray! It’s the holiday season in Neopia. People are smiling at each other more, pets are getting adopted from the pound more often, and everyone’s buying gifts for the family and friends. Neohomes are being decorated, carolers are going out, and everybody’s ready for some holiday cheer. Best of all, the Neopian Times is filled with wonderful articles all about things to do during this wonderful time of the year. Including this one. Which is why you should make sure to read it all the way to the end.

Anyway, although everyone’s singing about being home for the holidays, not everybody WANTS to stay in the same old place every year. This article is to help you choose the best place to have the trip of a lifetime. We’ve picked several of the most popular for your holiday enjoyment.

Terror Mountain. The obvious choice, Terror Mountain is the first one on our list. Not only are you close to the Advent Calendar, you’ll definitely be having a white Christmas. The problem is that around this time of year, it can be hard to find breathing room because everyone wants to be here. This is because they have several well known celebrations, including an annual Christmas play called “The Bruce that Saved Christmas”, free hot chocolate giveaways on Christmas Eve, and a snowman building contest so make sure you bring warm clothing. It’s a good idea to book for the neolodge well in advance to make sure you get a nice room. Or you could just stay with Grandma Ixi. Tell her hi for me when you go up there!

Roo Island. A good choice for a family of “Roos”, this little island doesn’t seem very popular around the holiday season. I would recommend it, however, because the Merry Go Round gets decorated in red, green, silver, and gold, and it’s usually very peaceful. The only Christmas tradition here is the Blumaroo Caroling Festival that takes places at 9:00 a.m. NST open to all who are interested in singing popular Neopian Christmas carols such as “I’ll have a Grey Christmas without you” and “Flying Around the Christmas Tree”.

Haunted Woods. This area is nearly deserted around this time of year. Most people don’t say, “have a spooky Christmas!” in their cards, but if you’re interested in a different sort of holiday, this is the place to go. Seeing the Deserted Fairground lit up in Christmas colors is certainly an amazing sight. Ghost pets enjoy wandering around scaring people and then wishing them a merry Christmas. Best of all, late Christmas eve you can hear pets eerily singing your favorite holiday tunes.

Mystery Island. How about a tropical holiday? Hearing natives chant on the special occasion is a celebration that gets Neopians all over excited. The Tombola Man can be seen dancing and giving out more prizes that usual. On Christmas Eve, there is a native tradition involving codestones, the cooking pot, island petpets. Unfortunately, no one has yet been able to understand it, but it makes a great show. Another activity that night is the beach volleyball tournament and don't be surprised to see people opening their presents on the beach the next morning.

Lost Desert. This may surprise you, but the Lost Desert has some of the best holiday traditions that Neopia has to offer. Both cities are full of lights and sounds, and every night in December fireworks are shot off from Coltzan’s Shrine. Things won’t be white here, but the fake snow and the decorations are worth seeing at least once in your life. You won't be wanting any hot chocolate, but for some people the unique atmosphere and decorations are worth it.

Virtupets Space Station. Perhaps Dr. Sloth loves the holidays, because if you go at the right time on the day before Christmas, you might see snow coming down. Best of all, it’s not the wet stuff, it’s dry... in fact, it’s just tiny paper snowflakes the Grundos have obviously taken a lot of time to cut out for your holiday enjoyment. Again, a great place if you don't want to be fighting the crowds.

Kreludor. No snow. Not a lot of decorations. In fact, no people anywhere. You're just about guaranteed not to be bothered if you come here.

Maraqua. I’m dreaming of a wet Christmas... no, really. It’s one of the fanciest places in Neopia to be spending the holidays. My pets and I were there last year... we got reservations at Kelp and listened to some of the best entertainment both in and outside the restaurant. While a lot of decorations aren't practical under water, the beautifully decorated coral trees lining the paths are exquisite.

Tyrannia. You'll definitely be in for a treat if you spend to choose your holidays season there.

Krawk Island. “Arrr, matey, a good Christmas to you!” is what you’ll hear around this area. Stop in at the Golden Dubloon for some great pirate holiday tales and some free grog. For the few weeks before the big day you can see a few pirates gather onstage to sing their best pirate melodies with a special holiday twist. Please be aware that young pets may be hit by flying peglegs when they start to dance. If you have the opportunity, see if you can arrange to stay on a ship for more entertainment while you open your gifts.

Darigan Citadel. If you're a holiday grouch, this is the best place to go. You can be sure that you won't find much holiday spirit here!

Neopia Central. If you’re looking for a classical Christmas, this is the place. It has all the usual traditions, the Christmas caroling, the lights on almost every house but a few old scrooges, and the traditional merriment. However, the holiday shoppers are packed in this area, lines extending out to all corners. A friend of mine who lives there said that every year she has people lined up on her streets, pushing each other to try to get to the shops before all the rest of them. It can get quite vicious sometimes. Just lock the door and try to stay inside...

Faerieland. Did you know that Fyora and the other faeries put on a play every year? Yep. Tickets can go up to 50,000 NP per showing, and Christmas and Christmas eve tickets can be five times more than that. Don’t worry if you’re on a budget, though; there are great things to see and do here. The library faerie is said to greet people wearing a Santa hat, clouds are shaped into festive designs, and many decorations are done by Fyora herself. This is a very popular spot so you won't be lonely either.

Almost everywhere you go, you'll be surrounded by amazing decorations and thrilling entertainment. Have a fantastic holiday, wherever you choose to go!

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Universal Translator"Hello, Maoush," Mucige gushed. "How wonderful it is to see you again." The Darigan Grundo flashed a simpering smile, ensuring his cousin couldn't miss the dripping sarcasm.